While actress Daisy Ridley was excited to join the galaxy far, far away by playing Rey in the sequel trilogy, one of the things she never quite expected to have in common with the hero was the sense of family that was felt not only in the on-screen narrative, but also in the filming experience, as the actress recently detailed how her own time on the film reflected Rey’s journey. Much like Rey didn’t know what her future held, neither did Ridley, allowing her to connect with the character innately. Ridley described this connection in the Star Wars: The Age of Resistance – The Official Collector’s Edition book, which is on sale now and hits shelves on March 9th.
“Family is what Star Wars is all about,” Ridley details in the book, per Digital Spy. “The family thing translated everywhere. Even on set, it felt like a family. It’s that feeling of bonding, everywhere. Rey is trying to find her place in this world in the same way I was trying to find my place in the world. The similarities were really nice. Because I felt so welcomed, and taken in, and people seemed to care how I felt, that translated into Rey. She suddenly had these people who cared about her, and she was finding her place within that.”
Embodying a character who was attempting to find their place in life might have been emotionally easier for Ridley to tackle, but the physical nature of playing a character who survived on her own in the desert presented Ridley with a number of challenges. Rey’s physical resilience in a harsh lifestyle required Ridley to convey a natural comfort with even the most difficult of tasks.
“I was really pleased from a personal standpoint,” Ridley expressed. “Rey is an emotionally strong female character, which is amazing. I had never climbed before, I had never done any kind of fight-training before. All of it was such an amazing feeling.”
Unfortunately, despite how much audiences enjoyed her interpretation of Rey, it sounds as though Ridley won’t be returning for more adventures.
“I think, for me, the beauty of Episode IX is it ends with such hope and such potential. I just feel like that was Rey’s perfect ending. The big battle was in Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,” Ridley shared with IGN last November. “I think really she’s probably running around the forest somewhere having a great time [following the events of The Rise of Skywalker].”
Grab your copy of Star Wars: The Age of Resistance – The Official Collector’s Edition when it hits shelves on March 9th.
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